PT Polocies and FAQ

[Orion Pobursky]

As part of my initiative to simplify things, I'm combining the following documents into one document and removing anything overly obvious:
https://www.ldraw.org/pt-policies.html
https://www.ldraw.org/ptfaq.html
https://www.ldraw.org/authorfaq.html
https://www.ldraw.org/reviewfaq.html

My new draft is here:
https://www.ldraw.org/draft-documents/pa...d-faq.html
https://www.ldraw.org/pt-policies.html

Let's discuss what else needs to be in here.

[Eugen]

My new draft is here:
https://www.ldraw.org/draft-documents/pa...d-faq.html

Let's discuss what else needs to be in here.

Missing the instruction for the case where Third Party parts manufacturers are providing 3D models itself (including in LDraw format) under CC-BY-SA/GPL/other Copyleft policy or under CC-BY-NC (Editiorial usage only).

Is it possible to create LDraw part for Parts Library from scratch and what policy it should be assigned to?

Also, if manufacturers provided parts in LDraw format under CC BY from own site, could be such parts directly copied to PT and what "Author" should be set in a such case.

[Orion Pobursky]

Missing the instruction for the case where Third Party parts manufacturers are providing 3D models itself (including in LDraw format) under CC-BY-SA/GPL/other Copyleft policy or under CC-BY-NC (Editiorial usage only).

There's one allowable license for new parts: CC BY 4.0 (CC0 technically isn't a license). If it can't be released using that license (or in the public domain) and the author of that file doesn't agree to the Contributor Agreement, then it won't be added to the library. I'm not complicating the library with a bunch of different (and possibly conflicting) licenses.

Is it possible to create LDraw part for Parts Library from scratch and what policy it should be assigned to?

I'm confused on the context of this question.

Also, if manufacturers provided parts in LDraw format under CC BY from own site, could be such parts directly copied to PT and what "Author" should be set in a such case.

No. In the case of an author releasing CC BY 4.0 parts on their own, they still cannot be added to the library unless that author agrees to our Contributor Agreement. Public domain files can be added under CC0.

TL;DR: If you didn't author the part or you didn't derive the part from an authorized source, you cannot submit it to the library.

[Eugen]

I'm confused on the context of this question.

I mean the case, where 3rd-party manufacturer provides own LDraw files under CC BY-SA, could be parts desgined by LDraw contributor from scratch (basing on 3rd-party bricks photos and other references) be included into LDraw Parts Library?

Os is it prohibited to include into LDraw Parts Library parts made from scratch for the 3rd-party parts, if its original manufacturer provides own official 3d-party LDraw library under other terms?

[Orion Pobursky]

I mean the case, where 3rd-party manufacturer provides own LDraw files under CC BY-SA, could be parts desgined by LDraw contributor from scratch (basing on 3rd-party bricks photos and other references) be included into LDraw Parts Library?

Os is it prohibited to include into LDraw Parts Library parts made from scratch for the 3rd-party parts, if its original manufacturer provides own official 3d-party LDraw library under other terms?

I'm leaning towards no. While you could "design from scratch", unless you had proof that's what was done then you'd run into it looking like you just copied and changed the license. Perception is important.

[Eugen]

I'm leaning towards no. While you could "design from scratch", unless you had proof that's what was done then you'd run into it looking like you just copied and changed the license. Perception is important.

If so, LDraw parts for "Big Ben Bricks" (even designed from scratch) could not be included into LDraw Parts Library as Third Party parts, because its manufacturer provides LDraw files itself under copyright (recorded in DAT headers) and it would be hard to remake it in different way i follow LDraw guides: (Update: This was not correct case for the BBB)

• http://www.bigbenbricks.com/ldraw/ldraw.html
  
  Code:

  ...
0 copyright 2004 Big Ben Bricks LLC
0 unofficial part
...

Same for "Fx Bricks" (PFxBrick): https://github.com/fx-bricks/fx-track-ld...-1-ov-file
Fx Bricks provided LDraw models itself under CC BY-NC-SA, thus could not be included as Third Part as well, but there are a lots of Fx Bricks already submitted on Part Tracker: https://library.ldraw.org/tracker/list?t...value%5D=1 (Update: Fx Bricks are not the same)

There should be more clear policy on Third Party allowed cases.

[Orion Pobursky]

"Big Ben Bricks" (even designed from scratch) could not be included into LDraw Parts Library as Third Party parts, because its manufacturer provides LDraw files itself under copyright (recorded in DAT headers)

You took my general thoughts (not official policy position) and then applied them to this specific case as policy. Don't do that.

Reinhard "Ben" Beneke is a confirmed LDraw Author with a history of working with the LDraw project in the early days. Based on this the BBB bricks in the library are fine. In fact, BBB is the prime reason we allowed third party parts.

Fx Bricks I addressed on the PT.

There should be more clear policy on Third Party allowed cases.

As you can see from the above 2 cases there always some nuance to an issue. I'm not writing an iron clad policy covering every possible edge case. It would make the document huge and it's a fools errand.

Bottom line: I feel the general policy regarding part sources/third party parts is clear and any questions will be answered by the admin team with community input (if needed).

[Eugen]

Reinhard "Ben" Beneke is a confirmed LDraw Author with a history of working with the LDraw project in the early days. Based on this the BBB bricks in the library are fine. In fact, BBB is the prime reason we allowed third party parts.

Ok, sorry for missunderstud the BBB case.

[Orion Pobursky]

I've added a section about Fast Track. There's also a section about Australian English that I'm going to move into the Official Parts Library Specification when I start that revision.

Any more ideas/suggestions/edits?

[Eugen]

Any more ideas/suggestions/edits?

"Contact the admins for an available LDraw Unnnn number.",- propose change it to: "Contact the admins or create a new thread in Parts Authoring subforum (https://forums.ldraw.org/forum-19.html) for get help with an available LDraw Unnnn number."

If due to any reasons admins would be offline for a while, other expirenced contributors may help.

Also, it would be easy to find similar cases on forum too, because direct contact with admins may not be public, and search by part Description name not yet implementd in Parts Tracker.

[Orion Pobursky]

Search by part Description name not yet implementd in Parts Tracker.

I'm not sure what you mean by this. There is search by filename, filename and description, entire header, or entire file.

[Eugen]

I'm not sure what you mean by this. There is search by filename, filename and description, entire header, or entire file.

I not see on PT a search input field where I could input "Ruler" word (or any other word from Description) or "helper2druler100ldu.dat" (file name) as search query to find the next part: https://library.ldraw.org/tracker/37573

This part could be found only with "Category:Helper" filter (also with "Author" filter, but without "Category:Helper" filter actually there would be a long list of all parts).

   

[Orion Pobursky]

I not see on PT a search input field where I could input "Ruler" word (or any other word from Description) or "helper2druler100ldu.dat" (file name) as search query to find the next part: https://library.ldraw.org/tracker/37573

This part could be found only with "Category:Helper" filter (also with "Author" filter, but without "Category:Helper" filter actually there would be a long list of all parts).

For search, in the menu: Tools -> Part Search

I also added a section on how to contact the admin.

[Eugen]

For search, in the menu: Tools -> Part Search

I also added a section on how to contact the admin.

I was not aware of "Tools" menu, but why this search field is not incorporated into "Parts List" page?

It would be more intuitive if search field, together with "Unofficial Part Results" and "Official Part Results", would be on "Parts List" page (then there would be no needs in extra "Tools -> Part Search" page as well).

[Orion Pobursky]

I was not aware of "Tools" menu, but why this search field is not incorporated into "Parts List" page?

It would be more intuitive if search field, together with "Unofficial Part Results" and "Official Part Results", would be on "Parts List" page (then there would be no needs in extra "Tools -> Part Search" page as well).

The quick search will also get you the Part Search page if you type your search string and hit enter. 

As for why the Part List page doesn't have it, history. The current library software, which has only been in use for 2 years this January, was written to be a direct replacement of the old software. The old software didn't have as interactive a Parts List as exists now and had a separate Part Search page. As I have developed and improved the PT these 2 pages have overlapped somewhat but I haven't taken the final step merging them together.